


Meant to be

by ToStressOrNotToStress



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: All swears are censored I think, BAMF Niki | Nihachu, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff and Angst, He/Him Pronouns for Eret (Video Blogging RPF), Heartbreak, Hurt Wilbur Soot, I just projected on Niki, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Sorry, Look at me writing het romance, Magic, Mentioned Floris | Fundy, Mentioned Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Nobody Dies, Phil is also mentioned like once, Philza is Wilbur and Tommyinnit’s father, Pre-Canon, Sally The Salmon is a shapeshifter, Sally is a free spirit, The revolution hasn’t happened yet, Things end well sort of, Wilbur Soot Angst, Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are Siblings, Wilbur Soot is Floris | Fundy's Parent, Wilbur Soot-centric, Wilbur and Niki are Best Friends, Willbur Soot is a Soft boi, but not really, i wrote this instead of doing school, niki is mad, no beta we die like wilbur soot, wilbur wants to be a good parent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:28:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29091291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToStressOrNotToStress/pseuds/ToStressOrNotToStress
Summary: “Of course I’ll hurt you. Of course you’ll hurt me. Of course we will hurt each other. But this is the very condition of existence. To become spring, means accepting the risk of winter. To become presence, means accepting the risk of absence.”― Antoine de Saint-ExupéryWill kissed her, a bittersweet kiss under the stars, as they both sealed the unspoken deal. Four months of joy for a lifetime of heartache. An instant together for an eternity apart.Or, Wilbur and Sally fall in love but some things just aren’t meant to last.
Relationships: Eret & Wilbur Soot, Floris | Fundy & Wilbur Soot, Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot/ Sally the Salmon
Kudos: 46





	Meant to be

**Author's Note:**

> So... this was jotted down in October during online lessons and I honestly have no idea why I wrote this but here we are.  
> Sally is kinda based on tamatojam’s design on twitter.

Will walked down the path to the L’Manberg woods on a warm spring evening. The events of the day whirled in his head, leaving him unsettled. He looked in the distance, where Dream’s castle rose upon a hill. That very morning, the plan had been hatched, but they all knew they weren’t ready yet. Declaring independence from Dream was a risky move, and this was a game of chess against a king, against one of the greatest dictators of history. He doubtlessly knew of the unrest that brewed in his lands, he had personally come to warn Wilbur. The memory still chilled him.

"Don’t do something you’ll regret, Wilbur." He’d said, his unnaturally bright green eyes searching his soul. Will had felt exposed, threatened. As eerie as the mask was, his eyes were far more unsettling. "I know you are a leader, and with time, you can acquire a position by my side. I also know how much Tommy and Niki mean to you. I would hate for someone to get hurt, despite our differences, you are all still my people."

Eret, their main strategist, had estimated that the resources and the manpower necessary to be on a level field with Dream would be acquired in a three year’s time. It was a long time to live under tyranny, but it would all be worth it in the end, if the war was won. 

Wilbur reached the river. He sat on the banks of the steam, watching the sugar canes sway in the wind, as the sun set towards the sea. In times like these, he felt the future was in his hands, all was possible during late spring evenings like these.

A red blur movement on the opposite bank caught his eye. Will turned his head, his eyes widening. He saw a barefoot woman in a simple, red and white plaid dress dangle her feet into the water, basking in the last rays of sunlight, perched on a large rock. Her flaming crimson hair glowed in the sunset, as she stared at the river. 

Wilbur had never seen anyone look so content, so at peace with exactly where she was. Slowly, she raised her head and locked eyes with him. They were a beautiful shade of gold, shining with amusement, framed by a face filled with freckles. Then she winked and dove into the river, vanishing from sight, leaving behind a silvery peal of laughter. Only a small salmon could be seen swimming upstream, darting between the rocks and vanishing from sight.

That night, as Niki and Eret presented their creation- a radish and lambchop pie- Wilbur was unusually quiet.

Tommy, his little brother, declared that this ‘the best f*cking pie’ to ever be made in the kingdom, and proceeded to recount his misadventures stealing from Skeppy, who lived across the lake, with his mouth full of pie, while Niki and Eret laughed and enjoyed the meal. Tubbo also had some pie and occasionally added his input to the story, to the great annoyance of Tommy, who repeatedly told him to shut up.

“Will, are you alright?” Niki asked the man after the meal, while a few feet away, Tommy profusely swore at Tubbo for destroying him in poker, and Eret supervised the game to make sure things didn’t get out of hand. 

“Yeah, of course!” Wilbur smiled half heartedly. She qeyed him suspiciously. There wasn't any fooling Niki, so Wilbur decided he might as well ask about what he’d seen.

“Have you ever seen anything strange near the river? Like, does anyone live there?” He asked, attempting to sound casual.

Niki’s smile vanished, and her face darkened as she glanced at Tommy and Tubbo. “Of course not. I think you should go to rest. You must be so tired after today.” she said rather firmly. 

“And no, no one lives there Will, it’s just woodlands, that’s all.”  
Niki then turned her heel and hurried back to her cottage just across the meadow, as Eret left Tubbo and Tommy- still fuming for the loss- to bide Wilbur goodnight.

Eret glanced towards Niki rapidly trekking through the tall grass.  
“What did you say to her to make her so mad?” he chuckled, “did you insult her, perhaps?” 

Wilbur glanced at Niki’s silhouette without answering, then waved as the rest of his guests wished him goodnight and left for their own homes. 

After four hours, Wilbur gave up on sleep. The image of that woman danced through his head all night, and he saw her golden eyes every time he closed his eyes. 

At five in the morning, desperate for another glimpse of her, Wilbur slung a small satchel over his shoulder and walked to the edge of the woods, where the river bent towards the sea. The brisk morning air seemed to carry a promise, a sense of quiet anticipation, and he swore he could hear a laugh echoing through the woods. 

Wilbur sat in front of the water, with his head in his hands, waiting.  
“So you came back.” 

Wilbur whipped his head around, fiding himself face to face with the woman from the stream. He had planned to say so many things, maybe even a few corny pick-up lines, but now that he was face to face with her, not just chasing a vague vision through his head, he was left almost speechless.

“Y-yes I… came to see you” he stammered. 

The woman chuckled. “I know that,” she said, “but why?”

“I thought you looked… very beautiful” he mumbled. Wilbur didn’t know why he’d said such a thing. His mouth had moved of his own accord, as if he were under a strange spell.  
I’m making a complete fool of myself.  
But she smiled at the compliment. “Thank you.”

Wilbur tried to collect his thoughts.  
“I wanted to ask… who are you?”

“I’m Sally, nice to meet you.” she laughed. Wilbur honestly didn’t know what to say next, but one question did seem to be quite pressing.

“What are you?” he asked, then quickly added, “I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just I-”

“It’s fine, really.” Sally giggled, “and since you wanted to know, I’m a river nymph, a shapeshifter.”

So that’s what she was. He’d heard of such creatures before, ethereal spirits that lived near rivers and streams, guarding the waters. While he summoned what limited knowledge he had of nymphs, Sally got up, her crimson dress fluttering in the breeze.

“I have to go now,” she said apologetically, “but I hope to see you this evening,”  
With that, she jumped into the water as her body morphed into a salmon in midair, and disappeared into the water, shimmering with the first rays of the sun.

Sally was waiting for him later, and the day after as well. Wilbur enjoyed talking to her, telling her about Dream and his plans to make a country and start a revolution. He told her of his childhood, his father Phil and his brothers Tommy and Techno. Sally liked listening, but she also enjoyed giving her opinions, talking to Will about the woods and how one day, she would return to the sea, like all river nymphs do, and become a sea spirit.

“But not yet, it’s not time yet. The sea will call when it is time.” she’d say.  
And every day they got closer, and love blossomed between the two, as spring began to turn into summer, a love so strong Wilbur felt like he was dreaming, like all his days were there only for Sally to fill them. The days became longer and warmer, their almost childish excitement and soft giggles turning into deep, strong emotions, wordlessly shared under the starlight. It was a time of whispered I love you's and kisses that started soft and turned passionate. He was often at the river with her for the whole day, barely seeing his brothers, Eret and Niki.

After about two months, Wilbur came back from the river in the evening, and walked in to find his house empty except for Niki, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. 

“Will,” she began, “we need to talk. I sent Tommy and Tubbo to Eret for dinner, so it’s just us.” She looked rather angry, which scared Wilbur, because she didn’t get like this often, and when she did, somebody was in trouble. 

“What is it? If it’s Tommy stealing things, I’ll pay Skeppy back, I promise-”

“It’s not Tommy, Will. It’s you.”

“Me?”

“Yes! You keep going to that godsforsaken river every day! You think we’re all blind? That we don’t understand what’s going on? Nymphs are tricksters and liars, Will,” she spat, “They mess with your mind and twist your thoughts and when they are done playing with you, they leave you with a broken heart and never return.”

Wilbur was taken aback. He hadn’t spoken of Sally to anybody, but most of all he didn’t understand why Niki hated nymphs so much.

“Niki, you need to understand, I love Sally and I don’t know how you found out but-”

“No,” she cut him off, “that nymph, that Sally, is messing with your mind, getting in your head! I’m sure she’s told you that she will leave for the sea.”

“Yes, what does that-”

“She will leave in the fall.” A single tear trailed down Niki’s cheek, as she stared pleadingly at Will.

That sentence brought the world crashing down around Will. He thought Sally meant in years time, so much later. Not in four months. Four short months. 

“No!” he yelled, his voice hoarse, “You’re lying. Sally wouldn’t… leave.” 

“Don’t lie to yourself. Come back to us, Will. We are your family, we are all you need. Please, it’s not too late.” But it was too late, and they both knew it. 

Wilbur left his cottage, left Niki alone, he left for the river as the full moon rose above him, casting long shadows across the meadow.

Sally was waiting for him on the rock. Will sat next to her silently.

“Is it true, Sally? Will you leave in the fall?”

She turned to look at him, her golden eyes full of sorrow.

“Yes. I have to leave for the sea. It will call and I will answer.” 

Wilbur sat in the moonlight, letting his tears flow freely down his cheeks.

“Will you not enjoy what we have left of the summer?” she asked.

“I know what’s coming, how can I still be happy?”

“You can. Just let us have this while it lasts. It won’t be forever, but we can treasure the memories for the rest of our lives.”

“But I will live my life knowing no one can ever come close to being what you were.”

“It’s your choice Will.”

Will kissed her, a bittersweet kiss under the stars, as they both sealed the unspoken deal. Four months of joy for a lifetime of heartache. An instant together for an eternity apart. 

The next four months were a haze. Sally was there every day. They swam in the river, walked in the woods, lay in the forest glade, climbed trees, and slept under the stars. Wilbur would only come home for a few hours every week. Niki refused to even look at him anymore, and every time he came, Tommy and Tubbo would quickly leave. Sometimes, he saw them having dinner without him, laughing and eating pie and playing poker, and he felt a pang in his chest. But then Sally was there again, and he forgot all about them. 

As September ended, she slowly began to change. Her hair became less vibrant, and her eyes would sometimes get lost staring towards the sea, and when Wilbur touched her lightly on the arm she’d jump and apologize for being distracted.

October came and brought a breeze, which sang of change, and carried the salty scent of the sea with it, reminding Wilbur that all things must come to an end. 

The last week was filled with daydreaming and cuddling, because Sally was slowly losing her energy, and she couldn’t move much. And quickly, way too quickly, that week was over too.

Only one day left, Wilbur told himself as he headed back to the river one day, in late October. Leaves crunched as he headed down the familiar path, knowing exactly who he’d meet at the end. 

He found her sitting on the rock, staring into the distance and dangling her legs above the water, just like that day so long ago, when it was still spring, and their hearts were still full of young love and naive hopes.

“Sal, I’m back.” he said.

The beautiful woman turned to face him, smiling warmly. Will stared at her face, trying to remember every detail of those beautiful eyes, her lips and her freckled face. She was much frailer and thinner than when he had first met her, but she was still the same woman. 

“Sally, you’re leaving, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Tomorrow is the day. The call of the sea has finally arrived, and I will answer.” She looked deep into his eyes, almost pleading. Please don’t make this harder than it has to be, her eyes seemed to say. 

“It wants me to come, it’s promising me of all the beautiful places and things I can see. You can see that I am wilting,” she said, gesturing to her dull hair, flaky skin and tired face, “but when I reach the sea I will shed this skin, and become a sea spirit.”

“Must you leave? Is there really no other way?” He knew this was going to happen, but somehow it felt too real too much too fast. He wasn’t ready to lose her.

Sally shook her head.  
“I’m sorry Will. But maybe, one day, in another life, we’ll meet again.”

Will looked at Sally.  
“Our last night together, Sally. Can we have this one night?” he asked through the tears.

And when she kissed him, with all the pain and the joy and the longing in the world, he knew the answer was yes.

They spent the night together, enjoying the last moments they had, clutching sand in their hands as it slipped through their fingers. And when, all too soon, dawn came, Sally kissed Will for the very last time. Just before leaving, she morphed into a fox and swiftly dragged out a little reed basket from a nearby bush, placing it at Wilbur’s feet. He stood silently, watching her. Once that was done, she turned around to look him, her lover, in the eye for one last time. 

With that, she jumped into the river as her body morphed into a salmon in midair, and disappeared into the water, shimmering with the first rays of the sun

Will never saw Sally again.

The next morning, Will woke up next to the tree by the river. She was gone, but her scent still lingered in the air. Freezing winter winds swept through the lands, but the cold was nothing compared to the ache in his chest. He got up slowly, almost as if he were in a trance. Only then did he remember the basket. He removed the small cloth covering it, and upon seeing it’s contents, his breath hitched. Shaking himself, Wilbur protectively tucked the basket under his arm and started walking to the village. He wanted to scream, shout, run into the woods and never return. He wished he could dive into the river, disappear from this world. But he couldn’t do that. Not now he was a father. His son deserved better than a runaway father, he decided. And as the beautiful freckled boy opened his golden eyes, Will knew that despite everything, all would be well.

He would never love anyone the way he had loved Sally, the curse of a nymph was too strong for that, but that didn’t mean his life was over. Niki, Tommy, Tubbo, Eret and his son were still here, and a nation still needed to be founded. This was only the beginning of his great symphony.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos make brain do happy chemical


End file.
